January 2012...
Well the big news for this month is that I am , at last, building a website !! I have been meaning to do this for ages but was a bit daunted.....shouldn't have worried, its been so easy!!
Other news is that sadly I am having to move out of one of my shops; the original one I opened in January 2009. I shall miss being there as it has such a lovely view of the river, but hopefully I am moving on to bigger ( well slightly..) and better (definitely..) things, more of this later!
Other news is that sadly I am having to move out of one of my shops; the original one I opened in January 2009. I shall miss being there as it has such a lovely view of the river, but hopefully I am moving on to bigger ( well slightly..) and better (definitely..) things, more of this later!
February 2012...
It has been a busy month sorting out the shops. Tanya and I have had a shift about and now have everything we need for day to day work in No 5. This has left my collection of fabric remnants and various stuff 'I will have a use for one day' ready to be packed away until the new shop is ready. Matt ( my lovely and very useful husband !! ) has moved my thread board and shelves, so we are all set really.
The new shop is going to be in what is, at the moment, an old garage attached to the back of the Tamar Inn. Sam and Dougal ( the proprietors of the Tamar Inn) are being incredibly supportive of our proposal to develop this and are excited at the prospect of the building being used by local businesses.The planning application has been submitted and so now we just have to wait and see, this will probably take 6 to 8 weeks if all goes well.
I am going to have a stand at The Wedding Fair being held at The Old Chapel, Calstock on Sunday 26th February. I have been making a dress for this which is coming on and will hopefully be finished in time. Come and join us from 10.30am for a glass of bubbly and some wonderful ideas and services for your big day.
The new shop is going to be in what is, at the moment, an old garage attached to the back of the Tamar Inn. Sam and Dougal ( the proprietors of the Tamar Inn) are being incredibly supportive of our proposal to develop this and are excited at the prospect of the building being used by local businesses.The planning application has been submitted and so now we just have to wait and see, this will probably take 6 to 8 weeks if all goes well.
I am going to have a stand at The Wedding Fair being held at The Old Chapel, Calstock on Sunday 26th February. I have been making a dress for this which is coming on and will hopefully be finished in time. Come and join us from 10.30am for a glass of bubbly and some wonderful ideas and services for your big day.
March 2012...
April 2012...
So, things are progressing with our planning application. As it stands the only public objection to it is from someone who owns a property in the village but who does not actually live here!! This person has made no apparent effort to find out what we are trying to achieve!!! Ah well, hopefully local enterprise will triumph. The conservation officer has also objected on the grounds that the windows are not in keeping with the nature of the listed building. As a result we have withdrawn our application so that these elements can be redesigned. We will re-submit as soon as possible. We have had so much amazing support from our village ...Thank you!!!!
May 2012...
Make New & Mend will be closed for 3 weeks from 31May to 26 June 2012. I have to take some time off to recover from an operation I need to have. I can only apologize for any inconvenience caused by this. If you have work that needs doing and you can get it to me by Tuesday 22 May 2012 I will do my very best to get it done.
June 2012...
So, that's that done and all back to work again !! Thank you all so much for your kind messages and best wishes.
You probably won't be amazed to hear that we are still waiting for our planning permission, it's such a shame these things seem to take soooo long. Still we will get there eventually and enjoy it all the more for the waiting!
You probably won't be amazed to hear that we are still waiting for our planning permission, it's such a shame these things seem to take soooo long. Still we will get there eventually and enjoy it all the more for the waiting!
July 2012
Our planning application has now been resubmitted so fingers crossed!
I must admit the weather is finally getting to me, its very quiet in the village at the moment, definitely not as many holidaymakers or visitors as usual. But who wants to go out in this incessant rain?
We have had a complete stock change of clothes in the last 2 weeks and there is some great stuff in. I am beginning to get some more autumny things on the rail as dainty little sundresses have not had much a moment !!
Calstock is experiencing some major problems with its telephone service and unfortunately my shop has no service at all at the moment and is unlikely to until 10th August ! Bt has to dig up the road to get to the problem. In the meantime my calls are being diverted to my mobile , not ideal as I get very poor signal in the shop. I will regularly be seen in coming weeks sitting in the bus shelter with phone and notebook taking messages and returning calls, a sort of regional office I suppose!!
I must admit the weather is finally getting to me, its very quiet in the village at the moment, definitely not as many holidaymakers or visitors as usual. But who wants to go out in this incessant rain?
We have had a complete stock change of clothes in the last 2 weeks and there is some great stuff in. I am beginning to get some more autumny things on the rail as dainty little sundresses have not had much a moment !!
Calstock is experiencing some major problems with its telephone service and unfortunately my shop has no service at all at the moment and is unlikely to until 10th August ! Bt has to dig up the road to get to the problem. In the meantime my calls are being diverted to my mobile , not ideal as I get very poor signal in the shop. I will regularly be seen in coming weeks sitting in the bus shelter with phone and notebook taking messages and returning calls, a sort of regional office I suppose!!
August 2012
At last !!! the phone was finally fixed on August 17th, 46 days after it stopped working. I have now closed the regional office in the bus shelter !!!
So we are still waiting for planning permission, it has now been nearly 7 months since our initial application. I do just not understand why it needs to take so long. As with everything though there has been a positive side to all this waiting and another premises has become available which would offer all the space I would ever need so its possible it will be all change again. Hopefully by the end of the year it will all be sorted...fingers crossed.
The seasons are definitely changing, I have lots of curtains to work on as people are looking to cosy up a bit at home now the nights are beginning to draw in. More often now I am adding interlining to curtains which makes them a fantastic thermal barrier, apparently one of the top 5 things you can do to improve insulation at home. It does make curtains look amazing too, very sumptuous ! I have just made some lovely roman blinds using old army maps printed on silk, really eye-catching , I hope to put a photo in the gallery soon. I have also worked on lots of very beautiful bridesmaid dresses over the last few weeks, its always such a treat to see people so excited about their special day and great to have been even a very small part of it.
So we are still waiting for planning permission, it has now been nearly 7 months since our initial application. I do just not understand why it needs to take so long. As with everything though there has been a positive side to all this waiting and another premises has become available which would offer all the space I would ever need so its possible it will be all change again. Hopefully by the end of the year it will all be sorted...fingers crossed.
The seasons are definitely changing, I have lots of curtains to work on as people are looking to cosy up a bit at home now the nights are beginning to draw in. More often now I am adding interlining to curtains which makes them a fantastic thermal barrier, apparently one of the top 5 things you can do to improve insulation at home. It does make curtains look amazing too, very sumptuous ! I have just made some lovely roman blinds using old army maps printed on silk, really eye-catching , I hope to put a photo in the gallery soon. I have also worked on lots of very beautiful bridesmaid dresses over the last few weeks, its always such a treat to see people so excited about their special day and great to have been even a very small part of it.
September 2012.
September is always a busy month at home, my kids and my nieces all have birthdays so every weekend has a party!
Its been busy in the shop, lots of last minute alterations to dresses and suits still as well as getting ready for my new venture....more about that next month I hope.. And I have been on holiday too, which was much needed and very enjoyable.
Its been busy in the shop, lots of last minute alterations to dresses and suits still as well as getting ready for my new venture....more about that next month I hope.. And I have been on holiday too, which was much needed and very enjoyable.
October 2012.
So, its back from holiday and back to work, I have a bit of a backlog to get through!
The big news this month is my exciting new venture....I am starting a weekly stall in Tavistock Pannier Market, I will be there every Thursday. I will be promoting my sewing services, giving customers a drop off and pick up point that could be more convenient than coming all the way to Calstock. The shop will still be open though, Tanya will be in charge on Thursdays from now on. I have had new cards designed and printed, bought some bits and pieces to set up the stall with and put together a mobile sewing kit. I am very excited about starting this, if only because it will be lovely to have a change of scene once a week! My first day will be Thursday 25th October......see you there!
The big news this month is my exciting new venture....I am starting a weekly stall in Tavistock Pannier Market, I will be there every Thursday. I will be promoting my sewing services, giving customers a drop off and pick up point that could be more convenient than coming all the way to Calstock. The shop will still be open though, Tanya will be in charge on Thursdays from now on. I have had new cards designed and printed, bought some bits and pieces to set up the stall with and put together a mobile sewing kit. I am very excited about starting this, if only because it will be lovely to have a change of scene once a week! My first day will be Thursday 25th October......see you there!
November 2012
So far so Good.... I have been to market twice now and it has been brilliant! I have had so many lovely comments about and loads of interest in what I am doing. The other stall holders have been very welcoming and helped me find my feet and I have lots of visits from friends and customers to wish me luck.
